Since Savannah Radio Sucks, What Would YOU do about it?

[Radio-X]

I think all who lurk on this board agree Savannah radio (with a couple small execptions) is tepid at best.

So, imagine I give you about $5,000,000 to purchase a radio station (or cluster). What would they be? Would you change the formats? How about staffing? What about the overall decline of radio causing problems with revenue?

I'm curious for all responses...even out of market stuff!

I'll break the ice:

I'd purchase the former Tama cluster (92.3, 100.1) Alternative (ala KNRK/Portland or WIIS/Key West) would go on 100.1. FM talk goes in mono on 92.3. FM talk is on air 5am-12am and "signs off" with 100.1 simulcast along with weekends (weekends would be similar to the old "Real Music Weekends" on the legendary 104.1 in Orlando)

I know a great local jock on the beach who'd love to be back on a morning show!

Radio-X

 

[Witchlover]

I've been thinking about this one for a couple days. I think I'd pick up four stations. (I'm thinking of something about the size of Adventure Radio.) I've been intrigued by the talk of Jazz and Spanish formats on the board here. I think the popular music formats are all pretty well covered in the market, so two of the stations would be formatted for those audiences. I believe both groups are woefully underserved when they are served at all.

One of the others would be an FM talker, but I would have a local staff to produce local programs - at least three a day - and there would be an actual local news presence as well - not just pre-recorded inserts from one of the local TV's, or taking their live feed when something big breaks. Network programming would consist of syndicated hosts, but those programs would not be the primary fare on the schedule. Sports on weekends along with locally produced shows with real production values and themes and not just an affable local personality filling the time between commercial breaks. The very last thing I would allow would be "Best of ..." repeats of weekday syndicated programs. I hate that!

For my fourth station, I would look at some sort of Americana-style format. I like the concept, and I think it would work in Savannah. Actually, I have been thinking of the old WSGA 1400 in Savannah. That's the station we all used to listen to back in the day. I'd like to build on the old Top 40 idea, but update it to appeal to a younger audience with a taste for a Retro sound. OK, so the "Tan Tone" might be a little dated, but I do believe the idea will work if properly executed.

All of the stations in the Witchlover® Cluster would be locally oriented and live programming would dominate all of the various formats. The personnel would all be hired for the long haul: Over time, some of them would become community institutions to their respective audiences. Each of these stations would be heavily involved in the area, and one would be hard pressed to go anywhere in the group's coverage area without seeing our logos and signatures. My ultimate goal with all of this is to make my stations synonymous with the thought "radio" in the minds of listeners - and thereby, the minds of advertisers. 2¢

 

[charlestondxman]

I'd take 1130 AM and 103.1 FM, and let Adventure buy 104.9 and another station. On 103.1, I'd flip it to all-sports, and become the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire's Sports Leader.

I would have at least one local show during the weekdays, a 4-6 or 4-7 show, talking about local and regional sports. I would mix in lots of play-by-play, including South Carolina or Clemson games, the Jaguars, Falcons or Panthers, and maybe some national games.

I would run lots of high school sports. You could easily do a local football game of the week (there's 5 public high schools in Beaufort County, two in Jasper plus privates), and then have the state scoreboard show after the games (the closest station that runs that is WALI in Walterboro). You could also run some basketball, too.

1130 AM could simulcast part of the day, but I'd run a news-talk or another format on there. You could be very local with this. Have a local morning or afternoon talk show, and run some syndicated stuff around it. On weekends, you could simulcast 103.1, or maybe have some local brokered or music shows.

 

[upstate29651]

I'll bite (and doing my part to keep the lame Macon threads below this one......)

Let's use the stations north of the river......

106.9: This needs to be the home of Adventure's most popular & highest billing station, Rock 106.1. The best product needs the most powerful stick. Common sense.

107.9: A CHR focused to Beaufort Co, but close enough to make noise in Savannah. It still seems odd after all these years that the area only has one "top 40" station.

106.1: If you MUST have a country station, I suppose it could land here. Again, focusing on Beaufort Co, but close enough to impact Savannah.

103.1: Take it mono & do sports talk, simulcasting 1130 AM. Or....a Hispanic format?

104.9: Either MOR or Oldies

98.7: Leave as is

G

 

[jharmon]

Are you guys crazy? 5 Million for ANY cluster in Savannah? As for the Tama cluster, those stations are NOT part of the listening patterns for Savannahians. There's no history with either frequency as far as locals are concerned and without marketing and unique formats, these stations are basically worthless. The gospel station gets some ratings but good luck selling a standalone station against the Cumulus and Clear Channel Urban monoliths.

No way will they ever be able to monetize their ratings in the thick of the war among the other 5 Urban's in the market.

When that station and its sister at 92.3 are finally out of receivership someday they will be shifted to formats that can be marketed with some real revenue potential. As far as changing formats on the other stations, well WZAT is flipping their AC Monday to All Sports.

They are running promos now and even telling their clients so that is a done deal. All the other stations in the market are pretty set with their current formats. Personally if I had 5 Million I would invest in something other than traditional media.....

 

[Witchlover]

Jharmon, it was free money - not money any of us had to earn.

You could be spot on in your remarks, but we were asked to speculate.

So the Z102 flip occurs Monday? I'll have to check that out for a tew days to see what they got. Starting today, since I want to see how they are promoting the flip on air.

 

[stevations]

Bring radio back to the good old 1970s !

Here is some area radio from 1974

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLfMIhJaG-0

 

[Radio-X]

Bring radio back to the good old 1970s !

Here is some area radio from 1974

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLfMIhJaG-0

The "Radio Code"? Bob Hope? Stations signing off? WTOC-FM? Streaking as a fad on the news? Breakfast With Burl? Wow...this IS old school radio!

Amazing stuff! One question?: It says it was a DX on a train. Where were you picking this up? And any clue what the automated easy listening station "Stereo 96" was? I'd guess WJCL-FM in Savannah waaaaaaay before country.

Radio-X

 

[Witchlover]

Amazing stuff! One question?: It says it was a DX on a train. Where were you picking this up? And any clue what the automated easy listening station "Stereo 96" was? I'd guess WJCL-FM in Savannah

Throughout its early life, WJCL was indeed easy listening. Took a school tour there in 1974; at the time they were using the Bonneville package. I was impressed with how clean the station was in those days. The whole operation looked like a model home in an upscale development. I was privileged to meet Paul Wolf and the late Al Jennings that day. These gentlemen did not require any Radio Code: They were professionals in the best sense of the word, and real gentlemen.

 

[jharmon]

What would I do about it.
Like any other market in the country...the opportunity has been lost.
Radio should have recognized that technology was marching on and they did not get on the bus.
Pandora is the new radio.

People can keep hanging on for a magic bullet is coming along to rescue terrestrail radio, but I think that is too little too late.
HD radio really was a game changer, wasn't it.
Ipod, Iphone, Ipad, Zune, MP3 players, smart phones, internet, have all taken the place for anyone to really NEED radio anymore.
And with the quality of liner-card talent available today, what educated adult wants to listen to anything other than their chosen music.

Pandora is the new radio.

Sorry it has come to this, but to this day, we are still sticking out heads in the sand, waiting for a brighter day to arrive.

I sorry to say that it wont.